I was long troubled by that verse from 1 Peter 3:15, believing it to be another way I've let Jesus down, big time. But I came to realize that the verse does not actually demand I have an answer ready, (or a ready answer. In our current culture of snark, a ready answer is all the rage.)

What it says is "always be ready." The verb in this verse indicates a state of being; an open channel to the Spirit. I am to have a receptivity to communication with the divine. That's a whole lot different than the notion I had better have some irrefutable lines to rattle off in order to prove my God is real.

Always be ready is a freedom from worry. It's freedom from my need to be right or appear smart or have a situation (or conversation) under my control. Instead, it's an opportunity to practice believing in abundance: of a truth that sets free and of God's provision in an unexpected moment of need.